PostBourgiehttp://www.postbourgie.com
Clean. Articulate. Gully.Thu, 26 Mar 2015 19:15:15 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Random Midday Hotness: Rosie Perez Murders The ‘Soul Train’ Line.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/26/random-midday-hotness-get-em-rosie/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/26/random-midday-hotness-get-em-rosie/#commentsThu, 26 Mar 2015 17:04:47 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22642So this post got me thinking about the peculiarities of Rosie’s fame. She was, quite literally, the opening number in one of America’s all-time-great movies. She was the brains behind the Fly Girls. She was — is – a sex symbol. She’s been ubiquitious and beloved and an avatar of legitimacy even though she’s never exactly been Read More

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/25/random-midday-hotness-serenas-711/feed/0Random Midday Hotness: Jay Smooth Is Tired of Having to Explain This Shit to You.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/17/random-midday-hotness-jay-smooth-is-tired-of-having-to-explain-this-shit-to-you/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/17/random-midday-hotness-jay-smooth-is-tired-of-having-to-explain-this-shit-to-you/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 16:31:57 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22608Jay says we should ask ourselves: “If my defense of racism was a Robin Thicke song, would I get sued for it?”

]]>Angela and Terryn are back for their weekly recap of Fox’s tawdry melodrama.

Angela,

Per the usual, last night’s episode of Empire was doing so much — it was almost doing the most but I will reserve my judgement for next week’s blowout 2-hour finale.

This week, we find Andre (Business Son) hobbled by his meltdown and not able to join in when they are signing the stock options for the IPO (or something to that effect, I couldn’t really keep up with all the business mumbo-jumbo). Cookie’s reaction to his mental illness seemed normal for a bamma-fied person, which I suppose is realistic. But I was surprised by how shoddily Andre treated his wife Rhonda, seeing as she makes sure he is straight in all things (as we find out later when she uses her Wharton savvy to blow Lucius’ spot about diluting stock options for his sons in order to give some to Cookie).

Lucius, though, is nothing but a low-down, gutter-butt trollop (in my B. Scott voice). Just last week, he wants to get back with Anika, and now he wants to marry Cookie and give her what’s hers? Chile BYE. That green-eyed monster is up to no good. I am glad, however, that he squashed that whole Hakeem/Camilla situation. +10 points for GOOD PARENTING.

The whole Jamal/Olivia/adorable baby storyline was a lot on it. Lucius’ little revelation that he was, in fact, the baby’s daddy gave me pause; it felt like the show was revving up for a shark jump. I wonder if Lucius just said that to protect Cookie from the gunman, but either way, ALL OF THIS WOULD BE SOLVED BY A PATERNITY TEST.

Final thoughts:

Yo, Antoine Fisher fell for Cookie QUICK. I mean technically so did TV viewers so I get it, but I wish they would have spaced out that storyline a bit. Also Antoine Fisher’s part is silly.

Cookie wore a loose dress for the first time this whole season and looked lovely.

Where is Boo Boo Kitty?

Please Lord Jesus in Heaven stop singing, Lucius. Just let it go.

I wish I could get between Andre’s knees and pray like JHud…

Terryn

—

T-Hall,

This was the most bewildering episode thus far for me. I felt like I was trapped in the cafeteria of a nursing home, watching several daytime soap operas blast from TVs at the same time. So much tawdriness, so much low-downess popping off in one hour. That in itself is not a bad thing. My biggest issue with last night’s episode, and with the show in general, is pacing. I mentioned a few weeks back that the show sets up lines of tension or conflict that look like they should take a few episodes to resolve, but certain plot lines are miraculously wrapped up within the space of one episode. This week, within the first half hour we see Olivia again, find out she has a crazy boyfriend, and watch him get shot down after prompting Lucius’s reveal of paternity (“I put the baby in her!”).

This is the definition of doing the most.

Why, oh why had we not seen Olivia since she dropped off baby girl? Why was she just now boarding a bus to get out of Dodge? If she really feared for her life, wouldn’t she be long gone? It’s like her character’s storyline was put on pause for two episodes, and then resumed right where we last saw her, illogical as that is in real life. It’s just as illogical that these millionaires haven’t thought to do DNA testing. I get that it’s hard to give so many storylines attention every week, but the show calls attention to itself when it tries to over-explain what someone’s been up to since the last time we saw them. What difference would it have made if Olivia just showed up with dude at the end of this episode, without the bus scene and without the awkward scene with Vernon at Leviticus? Not much difference is the answer. My gut says we’ll not see Anika for a while, then all of a sudden Boo Boo Kitty will be back with a vengeance doing a million things in one episode.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten my gripes off, some notes:

This was the first time Cookie disappointed me. She didn’t want to accept the doctor’s diagnosis of Andre’s condition, which is bad on its own, but she sounded a lot like Lucius, focusing on the signing of shares rather than her son’s health.

Why is Digeriboo hating on Jamal’s relationship with Lola? That seemed presumptuous of him considering they’ve known each other for roughly two weeks.

Who chose music therapy for Andre, and why? Did Rhonda chose it? Has it worked in the past? It would be interesting if music has been successful for him before, considering that he’s the son with no musical talent.

Funniest moment of the episode: Cookie preparing to bust it open for the Kehinde Wiley portrait thinking there was a camera in it, but there wasn’t.

Gripes aside, I’m looking forward to the finale. A few sharks will likely be jumped, but it’ll still be a good time.

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/12/blogging-empire-episode-10-sins-of-the-father/feed/1Random Midday Hotness: I Am Determined.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/09/random-midday-hotness-i-am-determined/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/09/random-midday-hotness-i-am-determined/#commentsMon, 09 Mar 2015 16:00:15 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22550“The key to playing ‘I Am Determined’ is to know which key the song is played in,” Kev says. “The song is every key. All of ‘em.”

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/09/random-midday-hotness-i-am-determined/feed/2Blogging ‘Empire:’ Unto the Breach (Season 1, Episode 9).http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/05/blogging-empire-unto-the-breach-season-1-episode-9/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/05/blogging-empire-unto-the-breach-season-1-episode-9/#commentsThu, 05 Mar 2015 18:42:33 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22532Empire is still bringing the heat, continuing to rise in ratings while also delivering serious drama. This week Angela and Terryn dive into the morass that the Lyon clan finds itself in after Boo Boo Kitty’s betrayal. So Terryn, Empire last left us expecting Andre to have a very ugly, public moment. This week’s episode delivered, Read More

Empire is still bringing the heat, continuing to rise in ratings while also delivering serious drama. This week Angela and Terryn dive into the morass that the Lyon clan finds itself in after Boo Boo Kitty’s betrayal.

So Terryn,

Empire last left us expecting Andre to have a very ugly, public moment. This week’s episode delivered, so much so that by the end of the episode, every scene without Andre in it felt almost superfluous. That’s saying a lot considering how action-packed this episode was: Boo Boo Kitty finally got what she deserved.* The capture-the-artist contest between Empire and Creedmoor, replete with digital leader boards and frenzied bomb-disarmament music, felt snatched from the desk of Shonda Rhimes, but it provided each son an opportunity to show what he might bring to the table as Empire’s leader. I will never, not ever, forget Cookie getting turnt off some purple drank and demanding Malcolm (Derek Luke) “take these cookies.” But even Cookie couldn’t overshadow Trai Byer’s acting this episode.

Have you ever been at a friend’s house when something personal breaks out among her family, and you wish you could just disappear, but you also can’t stop watching? That’s how I felt when Andre, Jamal and Hakeem were stuck in that elevator. I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there, witnessing these brothers try to cope with behavior they were clearly familiar with, but did not fully understand. As always, Jamal stepped up. He handled the situation so well that I forgive him for that awkward, Prince-inspired, strained-falsetto, sexy time performance he’d given earlier in the episode. The elevator scene was just good television. Great television, even. It will remain one of the standouts of the season, I predict.

*Wasn’t Boo-Boo Kitty’s entire come down bittersweet? Just when I was ready to cackle at the sight of her clothes tossed onto the driveway, I felt pangs of pity for her. But then I remembered how she derailed Elle Dallas’s road to sobriety and I cackled just a tiny bit at her finally getting some comeuppance.

—
Angela,

You are so right: last night was definitely Dre Day, in that his performance stole the entire show. It was the heart of the episode and I felt myself holding my breath in every single scene he was in, waiting for the keg to go off.

There was a steady build up for his final explosion each time we saw him getting more and more worked up. When he wasn’t on the screen I wondered: 1.) where he was, and 2.) if he was ok. The elevator scene was too too real, and some of the stuff he was spouting, particularly about that older sibling struggle — being burdened with raising/protecting your siblings when your home life is less than stable — really hit home. Jamal was the typical middle child though, smoothing shit out when it got too hot. It’s interesting how strong the relationship is between the brothers, even when Dre was the one who (inadvertently) shot up Jamal’s studio session.

For some reason I thought the elevator scene would be ‘it’, but they really went for the gusto and had Dre have a full meltdown, right in the glass-encased conference room (Trai Byers acted his ass off, I thought he was going to knock every single pane of glass out). Maybe that’s some symbolism for the glass house the Lyon family lives in? Hmmm. Anyway, as much shit as Lucius gave Dre’s white wife last week, one thing he can’t take away is how much she loves him. That woman is down for Dre’s freaky antics AND makes sure he takes his meds. Evil plotting aside, that made me a little more sympathetic to her character.

Sidebar: the whole Billy Barretti situation standoff, which seemed a little much to be honest — drawn guns in a public road with a Bentley parked right there? c’mon, son — is that Lucius really has a disdain for people in the music business who are not musicians. Maybe that’s why unconsciously discriminates against Dre as the next-in-line for Empire?

A few parting shots:

I live for drunk Cookie. Derek Luke is fine and I’d have given him my cookies, too. It’s cold outchea.

Boo Boo Kitty’s takedown was GREAT, but I did feel a teensy bit bad for her. She wasn’t really gonna win, especially when she knows that Lucius loves Cookie (everyone does). No amount of Halle Berry hair or debutante wiles is gonna change that.

Lucius needs to chill on all these scarves and ascots.

I am so, so glad Porsha didn’t turn on Cookie. But I wonder when that whole ‘I put a hit on a drug dealer’ situation is gonna rear it’s ugly head.

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/03/05/blogging-empire-unto-the-breach-season-1-episode-9/feed/0PostBourgie: The Podcast |#28: Little Known Black History Facts.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/28/postbourgie-the-podcast-28-little-known-black-history-facts/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/28/postbourgie-the-podcast-28-little-known-black-history-facts/#commentsSat, 28 Feb 2015 22:30:25 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22506On the last day of Black History Month™, Tracy joins Jamelle, Terryn and G.D. to discuss her satirical Little Known Black History Facts, the pushback to it, and the touchiness around Black History Month writ large. Listen here, or subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. This episode was produced by the great Channing Kennedy.

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/28/postbourgie-the-podcast-28-little-known-black-history-facts/feed/0Random Midday Hotness: Uptown Funk.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/27/random-midday-hotness-uptown-funk/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/27/random-midday-hotness-uptown-funk/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 19:46:43 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22447Your uncles are at that age where the turnup might sideline them for a few weeks, but when has that ever stopped them?

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/27/random-midday-hotness-uptown-funk/feed/3Random Midday Hotness: Classic Man.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/26/random-midday-hotness-classic-man/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/26/random-midday-hotness-classic-man/#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 18:45:13 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22448This new jawn from Jidenna is parade of dandified Negritude. Also, watch for cameos from my boo, Teyonah Parris (aka Dawn from Mad Men), and that lady from all them CoverGirl ads. (Dunno how to feel about the you-need-to-stay-in-your-books-and-uplift-yourself business between 1:00 and 1:30, but that’s certainly a kind of classic black ethos of its own.) [h/t Read More

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/26/random-midday-hotness-classic-man/feed/2Blogging ‘Empire': The Lyon’s Roar. (Season 1, Episode 8.)http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/26/empire-recap-lyons-roar/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/26/empire-recap-lyons-roar/#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 17:53:52 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22452Empire is doing almost inconceivably crazy numbers each week, and it’s become the kind of watercooler show that isn’t supposed to exist any more. We know we’re jumping into the recap game late on this, but this show is undeniable. Terryn and Ang will be doing the Thursday-morning quarterbacking for the rest of the season. — G.D. Read More

]]>Empire is doing almost inconceivably crazy numbers each week, and it’s become the kind of watercooler show that isn’t supposed to exist any more. We know we’re jumping into the recap game late on this, but this show is undeniable. Terryn and Ang will be doing the Thursday-morning quarterbacking for the rest of the season. — G.D.

Hey Angela,

This week’s episode of Empire (Lyon’s Roar) is the first that I’ve watched live and it’s giving me the same rush I had back when Scandal first came out — action packed, full of mess and amazing clothes, and of course, a badass black woman as the center of the show. My only concern is how long Empire can keep the momentum going. To date there’s been a drive by shooting, the murder of Cookie’s cousin and Lucious’ right hand man Bunk, the comeback and fall of Courtney Love, a secret baby fathered by the gay son, and an ALS diagnosis. How much more can this show twist and turn? (My hope is: a lot.)

This week, Business Son (Andre) hatches a harebrained scheme to get money or something for the Empire, which somehow includes an swingers-style rendezvous with some Woman Who Is Important and her husband. (Poor Andre! Always one step behind!) It’d be nice to learn more about his story/his wife’s story but, you know, time constraints.

Anyway, Business Son’s Wife is down for the orgy because she’s freaky and power hungry, but is stopped in her tracks by Important Woman’s husband, who is wheelchair-bound and looks like Benjamin Franklin. (Ben Franklin made it clear that he had that Hoveround Lovin’ too, which made her sick to her stomach.) Back in the car, Business Son’s Wife goes on a rant about how he never comes up with his own ideas, and it got me to thinking — none of the men on Empire are really that bright or interesting (except for Jamaal), and they rely on the women in their lives to come up with the ideas and execute the work.

Meanwhile, Cookie and Lucious are electric together — the scenes of Cookie and Lucious post-hookup seemed more natural than any interaction I’ve ever seen between Lucious and Boo Boo Kitty. But I wonder if this dynamic can stand up for more than a few seasons; we’ve already seen how tired that’s become with Olivia Pope and Fitz on Scandal. (Sidebar: why is Boo Boo Kitty so — blah?)

Can we talk about these outfits? I want e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g Taraji wears on this show. Her makeup, shoes, and dresses are all AMAZING. My only quibble with this week’s wardrobe choices is that all the men wore some type of bammafied jacket to the white party. Why did Lucious and Jamaal look like megachurch pastors? And Hakeem donned a shiny ass suit jacket gifted by his cougar. The country-ness of it all was just too much for my spirit.

Lucious’ decision to cancel the Legacy album [Cookie’s plot to project the Lyon family into even greater musical acclaim before Lucious dies] because Jamal came out was so unnecessary. We get it. You don’t like gay dudes, but can we have a little more context? Why is Lucious such a fucking hater?

Looking at the previews for next week’s show it seems like they’ve got every musician who wants some of that Empire luster to be on the show. I knew it was gonna be that way when they had Gladys Knight singing at Bunk’s funeral. (Seriously, was his character that important or connected to have Gladys sing over his dead body?) They’ve got Estelle, Aunt Patti and Snoop Lion slated too, so I’m pretty sure more A-listers will start to trying to get on the show as it becomes more popular. My wish list for special musical guests: Sean Paul, Drake, Nicki Minaj, or Lauryn Hill.

Ok, I’m tapped out. There’s still more to process about this episode than Lucious’ first episode conk.

There was so much to love/question in this week’s episode. I appreciated that they pulled back from most of the action-fueled drama (like studio shootings, and Cookie bursting into boardrooms) in favor of focusing on more interpersonal conflicts. The Legacy Album recording was a great way to get everybody in a room together without the stakes being too high.

This was an episode where nobody gets quite what they wanted by the end, except for Hakeem, who somehow matures a decade overnight and is very Zen all of a sudden. I’m glad he and Cookie address some of his mommy issues. I am overjoyed that Hakeem and Camilla aren’t going to do the sexy-mommy role play thing anymore. It was too on-the-nose and cringey. I can’t quite figure out Camilla’s angle (is she just down for the money? How would she expect to get the money, marriage?), but her wigs are improving each week and I hope she stays around. I am also glad that Hakeem points out Cookie’s fondness for walking into rooms uninvited. It had to be said.

The moment I saw British (?) Bae [I thought he was Australian…I call him Digiri-boo. -Terryn] I knew he was going to help bring Jamal to self-empowerment. I had no idea he’d get it done within the space of one show. That’s one thing that interests me about the writing on Empire: they set up these long and short lines of dramatic tension, and just when I’ve accepted that a certain storyline will take the entire season to be resolved, they cut it short, and pivot in another direction. Of course, Jamal coming out doesn’t end that storyline, but the focus shifts away from a public reveal back to Lucious’s stubborn homophobia. I also want to know what the deal with that is. I don’t think I can bear to see the Jamal-in-the-trashcan flashback any more. Part of me wants a solid psychological explanation for Lucious’s hate, but the other part of me doesn’t, because really, sometimes folks are just hateful.

You really want everything Cookie wears, Terryn? Even the colored furs? I guess they do look soft. I thought it funny that in the scene when Boo Boo Kitty goes to deal with Lucious’s rival she’s wearing a Cookie-approved outfit (bodycon dress and fluffy fur). I’ve also noticed that Jamal and Lucious have sartorial similarities. They both wear those Kirk Franklin cast-off jackets at the white party, and they both appreciate a long, luxurious scarf. Maybe their style proclivities will bring them to a place of understanding in the end. Side note: Black people look so great in all white. White parties forever.

Some final thoughts:

Cookie’s eyebrow game was stellar in prison.

When are they having a paternity test for the child that Raven left? I’m confused as to why there’s been no mention of a test. Imagine the upset if/when they find out that adorable child is not actually Jamal’s.

It would be so dope to have Ms. Lauryn on the show. Sean Paul would be cool too, although if Lucious spits some fake patois on a track I might have to quit watching altogether.

As strong as Cookie seems she is completely vulnerable with her feelings for Lucious. She’s just ready and open for whatever affection he wants to toss her way. I think this adds a layer of depth to her character, maddening as it is to watch her pine over him.

Yo. Andre needs some help. I actually whispered “oh no!” to myself when I saw him flush his meds down the toilet in the preview of next week’s episode. I too think that he and his wife could stand to get a little more of their history fleshed out onscreen. I suspect we’ll get it via a very ugly Andre moment soon.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his assassination, Malcolm’s daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, wags her fingers at today’s young protesters in the pages of the New York Times:

My father was never one to criticize without also offering a solution. First, he would challenge today’s young protesters to draw upon the nation’s rich history of activism and to appreciate better the contributions of those who have gone before them. What worked in Selma, in Chicago, in Watts — and what didn’t? As it is, today’s protesters often act like they are starting from square one. This disconnect cannot be dismissed as the hubris of youth; it is a symptom of our failure to teach this generation about black history and the way our economic and social systems actually function.

It’s always fascinating to watch descendants of the revered use their forebears as a cudgel for their politics; remember MLK’s daughter and niece saying that he didn’t “take a bullet for same-sex marriage”? But it’s also worth remembering that history tends to flatten: the civil rights movement and the black power movements also began as inchoate, often-ineffective endeavors that eventually evolved into something more galvanized. The SCLC had to figure what worked for them. SNCC had to do the same. Hell, Malcolm’s entire life was marked by his reorientation/recalibration of his priorities and approach. All along the way, they were tinkering, infighting, and getting better at organizing/messaging. I doubt that the kids out there protesting and organizing are done, that this is the ceiling of their movement. But it can’t seriously be argued that the #BlackLivesMatter folks has not already changed the national political conversation. Give Phil Agnew an’em some time.

But we’ve heard versions of Shabazz’s argument before, and whether you find it convincing probably rests a lot on how much you share her particular kids-today-don’t-respect-the-history fogeyism. (Suffice it to say that a lot of folks do.) There’s some other strawmanning and convenient elisions in this piece: She derides today’s protesters as not focused on policy like her father — but her father’s huge legacy rests mainly in its implications for black self-esteem and the orientation of the movement broadly and much less directly to discrete, tangible policy outcomes. There are a lot of ways to matter, to change the world.

[EDITED TO ADD:

There’s some really egregious point-missing in the shade thrown at the hashtag/social media component of contemporary social justice activism. They forget that the organizers of civil rights-era protests were always deeply concerned with using the news media to magnify the movement, and that they saw getting their message in front of faraway, sympathetic eyes as crucial to their successes.

That’s why organizers put so concerned with having the “right” faces for their campaigns, why the protesters being attacked by dogs and blasted by water cannons were invariably so nattily dressed. “There was a sense of righteous indignation on the part of the American people because of the message that the media was ale translate and and around the country and around the world,” John Lewis said of the reaction after Selma in The Race Beat. “If it hadn’t been for the media — the print media and television —the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings, a choir without a song.”

But the media strategies that folks might have used in the era of three television networks and a few national papers of record aren’t the same ones you would use in the era of a thousand channels and a million online news outlets. Today, when a broadcast network or local station covers a major rally/demonstration, they might dedicate about 45 seconds or so to some B-roll and a soundbite of a main talking point. (And of course, the core audiences for the big nightly news shows are eligible for AARP membership.) If you were trying to get your message out to a lot of people and mobilize them around your cause, traditional media would be a pretty ineffective way to do it.

Twitter, on the other hand, has a ton of advantages: its user base is disproportionately brown, they skew younger, and as such, have a whole different set of priorities. And while Shabazz writes that her father “would be the first to say that slogans aren’t action,” it’s worth remembering that sloganeering isn’t nothing, either — expressions of solidarity are critical to the sustenance and spread of any movement. It’s not hard to imagine a different world in which “We Shall Overcome,” the mantra of the civil rights revolution that eventually found its way into the mouth of the President of the United States, or her father’s own iconic “…by any means necessary” beginning their lives with pound signs in front of them. /EDIT]

But seriously, there’s nothing I’ve ever read or seen attributed to Malcolm that would put him anywhere near the Progressive Left, who tend to embrace him. The late author of his most recent major biography, professor Manning Marable, attempted to rationalize his placement in the Progressive pantheon. But there was no real link in his well-researched and well-written biography. At best, he mentioned some “anti-capitalist” rhetoric in speeches to colleges…

I write this not to claim Malcolm for libertarians or, least of all, the American Right. His legacy belongs to black people and America writ large, if they bother to embrace it.

People should remember Malcolm for what he was and what he stood for, not just as a symbol of scaring white people. He believed in the absolute right to self-defense and personal responsibility. He believed in small business and black empowerment. He wanted jobs and dignity for black people, and he didn’t believe the government as instituted in the United States could provide it.

I think this is broadly true of Black Nationalism — nationalisms are necessarily conservative ideologies— but also of small-c conservatives like your aunties or the folks in your church or barbershop. It’s the kind of conservatism that can sit comfortably next to, say, a deep distrust of the police and broad support of Barack Obama. But JB is right: It’s definitely not the left.

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/21/malcolm-x-50-years/feed/8Why Miles Morales May Not Be the Answer…Yet.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/18/miles-morales-may-not-answer-yet/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/18/miles-morales-may-not-answer-yet/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 18:35:29 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22408After Sony agreed to let Spider-Man join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the call have returned with a fervor for Miles Morales — the Afro-Latino Spider-Man from the Ultimate Universe — to be in the next big-screen Spider-Man flick.

With the excitement of Sony agreeing to let Spider-Man join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the call for Miles Morales to be in the next cinematic Spider-Man have returned with a fervor. I would love somehow someway Marvel and Sony decided that this would be the way to go. I love Spider-Man and I love Peter Parker but that story has been told and retold on the big screen twice already. It feels weird to me that we’ve gone from “We’re never going to see Spider-Man done right on the big screen” to having third incarnation of Peter Parker in 13 years or so.

By going with Miles, they can have an origin story that feels somewhat fresh. Without having Uncle Ben tell Peter “with great power comes great responsibility” (or imply it…ugh), Miles learns this lesson on his own (or if they are so inclined from other people in Parker’s life like Aunt May or Mary Jane). Miles would be the youngest hero in the MCU by mile which would provide yet another new perspective on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The problem is Miles doesn’t have a nemesis. When Miles Morales was introduced, his only foil was his uncle (who turned out to be the Ultimate incarnation of The Prowler) who figured out he was Spider-Man and used it to help him fight The Scorpion. Then the book became mired in an Ultimate Comics crossover. Brian Michael Bendis (creator of Miles Morales and writer of every Ultimate Spider-Man issue he’s appeared in) spent more time with Peter Parker’s friends and family (Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane and May Parker all know who he is and have supported him) than establishing Miles’ world (he has abest friend and now a girlfriend). He’s been around since 2011 but it still feels like he’s just getting started.

If they bring him to the big screen, I guess he could fight some of the Parker’s old enemies (Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, The Sandman) as he’s done in the book but it wouldn’t be the same. Every time Miles has confronted one of Parker’s old enemies, it usually went like this:

Villain: “You’re not the real Spider-Man”

Miles: “Yes, I am.”

Initial defeat

Crisis on conscience

Rematch

Villain: “You’re not the real Spider-Man.”

Miles (as he’s about to defeat the villain): “Yes I AM!” (or some quippy version of that).

The only villain he has a real connection with is Norman Osborn (since it was an Oscorp Spider that gave him power) but do we want to go down the Osborn well again?

Maybe Marvel should give Parker one more film and then lead into Miles Morales just so they can establish how big the shoes are that he is seeking to fill. Currently there isn’t anything in his books to sustain more than one film and Marvel isn’t in the single film business (Unless you’re Ant-Man. Sorry Paul Rudd). Marvel Films has already shown that they don’t need to draw specifically from the comics but this needs to be more than just Miles Morales in place of Peter Parker.

On a separate note, there probably won’t be time for Marvel and Sony to cast a Spider-Man so he can make a cameo in the post-credit teaser for Avengers: Age of Ultron. What they could do, however, is have the movie acknowledge Spider-Man is a part of the MCU by cutting to the offices of The Daily Bugle and showing an indignant J.J. Jameson played by a Academy Award Nominated Actor J.K. Simmons (there have been rumors to that effect). Yes, it would be strange for the first J.J. Jameson to show up in the third version of Spider-Man but he was just so damn good I think fans would be willing to overlook it.

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/18/miles-morales-may-not-answer-yet/feed/0President’s Day.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/16/presidents-day/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/16/presidents-day/#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 17:57:57 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22399The legacies of Our Greatest Presidents™ as they pertained to black folks were in many ways, complete catastrophes. Washington was a wealthy planter and a son of Virginia — and thus deeply invested in the institution of slavery (By the end of his life, he owned hundreds of human beings at his plantation at Mount Vernon.) Because Washington was the Read More

]]>The legacies of Our Greatest Presidents™ as they pertained to black folks were in many ways, complete catastrophes. Washington was a wealthy planter and a son of Virginia — and thus deeply invested in the institution of slavery (By the end of his life, he owned hundreds of human beings at his plantation at Mount Vernon.) Because Washington was the hero of the Revolutionary War, his support for slavery as president was of huge political consequence.

What prompted Judge’s decision to bolt was Martha Washington’s plan to give Judge away as a wedding gift to her granddaughter. Judge fled Philadelphia for Portsmouth, N.H., a city with 360 free black people, and virtually no slaves. Within a few months of her arrival, Judge married Jack Staines, a free black sailor, with whom she had three children. Judge and her offspring were vulnerable to slave catchers. They lived as free people, but legally belonged to Martha Washington.

Washington and his agents pursued Judge for three years, dispatching friends, officials and relatives to find and recapture her. Twelve weeks before his death, Washington was still actively pursuing her, but with the help of close allies, Judge managed to elude his slave-catching grasp.

George Washington died on Dec. 14, 1799. At the time of his death, 318 enslaved people lived at Mount Vernon and fewer than half of them belonged to the former president. Washington’s will called for the emancipation of his slaves following the death of his wife. He completed in death what he had been unwilling to do while living, an act made easier because he had no biological children expecting an inheritance. Martha Washington lived until 1802 and upon her death all of her human property went to her inheritors. She emancipated no one.

Washington wrote letters to powerful people urging them to have Judge returned to him — at one point, he dispatched his nephew to kidnap and forcibly return her (and her baby) to Mount Vernon. (Under the Constitution, Judge’s free-born children still legally belonged to the Washingtons.)

Meanwhile, over at Slate, Jamelle produced a video about Lincoln’s single worst decision as a president — naming the virulently racist Andrew Johnson to the ticket as his running mate in 1864.(I’d embed Jam’s vid here here, but Brightcove be on some bullshit.) After Lincoln’s assassination, Johnson quickly laid the framework for the racial caste system that would be codified into Jim Crow laws and dominate black American life for the next 100 years.

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/16/presidents-day/feed/1PostBourgie: The Podcast | #27: Bad Romance.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/14/27-valentines-day/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/14/27-valentines-day/#commentsSat, 14 Feb 2015 19:45:51 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22387It’s everyone’s least-favorite Hallmark holiday, so Terryn and me called up some folks who tweeted us their worst date stories. Let’s all humbug together. (And biiiig thanks to Genie, Tamara, Ko and Tracy for baring their souls.) Listen below on Soundcloud, or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.

]]>It’s everyone’s least-favorite Hallmark holiday, so Terryn and me called up some folks who tweeted us their worst date stories. Let’s all humbug together. (And biiiig thanks to Genie, Tamara, Ko and Tracy for baring their souls.)

Listen below on Soundcloud, or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.

]]>http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/14/27-valentines-day/feed/2Random Midday Hotness: Fantastic Negrito.http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/12/random-midday-hotness-fantastic-negrito/
http://www.postbourgie.com/2015/02/12/random-midday-hotness-fantastic-negrito/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 20:32:54 +0000http://www.postbourgie.com/?p=22373NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, the stripped-down, live-in-the-middle-of-an-office-cubicle performance series probably most remembered for breaking the Internet when T-Pain dropped by sans AutoTune, held a big contest to give an undiscovered act a spotlight at the Tiny Desk. The winner was Fantastic Negrito, a roots musician from Oakland. What’s good with that name, though? “To me Read More

]]>NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, the stripped-down, live-in-the-middle-of-an-office-cubicle performance series probably most remembered for breaking the Internet when T-Pain dropped by sans AutoTune, held a big contest to give an undiscovered act a spotlight at the Tiny Desk. The winner was Fantastic Negrito, a roots musician from Oakland.

What’s good with that name, though?

“To me it’s a celebration of blackness,” he says. ” ‘Fantastic’ is self-explanatory, you know? And the ‘Negrito’ is a way to open up blackness to everyone — you know, make it playful, international. It’s extremely positive in my view; it’s my affair with this music. And it’s like gold! I feel like it’s something that everyone should know about.”